What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
PC and console sales are not moving in one direction. Gartner’s preliminary estimate says worldwide PC shipments rose 9.1% in 2025, while forecasts published in 2026 project a substantial PC shipment decline that year. Separately, Newzoo reports growth in PC and console games revenue—not hardware sales. The available figures do not establish that worldwide console hardware sales are stabilizing.
Are PC sales actually falling?
Not in 2025, according to Gartner’s preliminary estimate. It counted 270.2 million worldwide PC shipments for the year, up 9.1% from 2024; shipments were up 9.3% year over year in the fourth quarter. Gartner’s measure covers desktop and laptop computers running Windows, macOS or Chrome OS, and counts devices shipped into channels rather than a direct tally of consumer purchases. Gartner’s January 20, 2026 estimate is preliminary, so it should not be read as a final retail-sales count.
The downward story concerns 2026, and it is a forecast, not a completed result. Gartner’s February 2026 forecast projected a 10.4% worldwide PC shipment decline from 2025. IDC’s 2026 outlook projected an 11.3% decline for the full year. The estimates differ in publisher and forecast vintage; neither is evidence that the forecast decline has already occurred.
What is driving the weaker PC outlook?
Analysts point to higher memory and storage costs as a central pressure. Gartner forecast that combined DRAM and SSD prices would rise 130% by the end of 2026 compared with 2025, and projected a 17% increase in PC prices. These are forecasts, not reported price changes already realized. Gartner expects cost pressure to reduce shipments and raise device prices. Its February 26, 2026 outlook also attributes 2025 shipment growth partly to the Windows 11 upgrade cycle, strong consumer and business demand, and advance buying ahead of anticipated memory increases and shortages.
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteWindows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstall#1 Best Overall
- BEST VALUE IN GAMING — Experience next-gen speed and performance in the smallest XBOX ever. The XBOX Series S delivers powerful all-digital gameplay in a sleek, compact design.
- UP TO 120 FPS GAMEPLAY — Enjoy smooth, responsive gaming with frame rates up to 120 FPS, powered by XBOX Velocity Architecture, a custom NVMe SSD, and DirectX Raytracing for a heightened level of realism.
- 1TB CUSTOM SSD AND XBOX VELOCITY ARCHITECTURE — Reduce load times dramatically with the custom 1TB NVMe SSD and XBOX Velocity Architecture, enabling lightning-fast performance and seamless world streaming.
- QUICK RESUME — Seamlessly switch between multiple games and resume exactly where you left off. No more waiting through title screens and loading bars.
- FOUR GENERATIONS OF DIGITAL GAMES — Play thousands of digital games from XBOX Series X|S, XBOX One, XBOX 360, and Original XBOX with backward compatibility. Many titles are enhanced for better visuals and performance. Smart Delivery ensures you always get the best version for your console.
IDC also cites weaker consumer purchasing power, regional inflation and currency volatility, alongside memory and storage shortages, in its outlook. Those are analysts’ explanations for the forecast, not measured shares of the decline attributable to each cause. IDC says broader personal computing device market stabilization is not expected before 2028; that refers to the PCD market, not a unified global PC-and-console hardware market. IDC’s 2026 PCD outlook should therefore not be used to claim that console hardware is on the same trajectory.
Does games-market growth mean console sales are recovering?
No. Newzoo reported that the combined PC and console games industry grew 7% year over year in 2025. That is revenue from the games industry, not a count of PCs or consoles sold. Revenue can grow even when hardware-unit sales do not, so it cannot by itself demonstrate a console hardware recovery or stabilization. Newzoo’s 2026 report describes the games-market measure.
Rank #2
- Model Number CFI-2000
- Includes DualSense Wireless Controller, 1TB SSD, 2 Horizontal Stand Feet, HDMI Cable, AC power cord, USB cable, printed materials, ASTRO’s PLAYROOM (Pre-installed game)
- Vertical Stand sold seperately
A platform-specific hardware figure is not enough to settle the global console trend either. Nintendo reported 23.68 million Switch 2 hardware units cumulatively as of June 30, 2026. That official total applies to one platform and period; it does not establish the direction of worldwide console hardware sales across manufacturers. Nintendo’s sales data are useful for its own products, not as an aggregate industry measure.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read claims that sales are “stabilizing”
Check what is being counted before comparing headlines. A shipment estimate, a retail unit total and games revenue answer different questions, and a forecast is not an observed result.
Recommended Free Tools
Rank #3
- 6.2” LCD screen
- Three play modes: TV, tabletop, and handheld
- Local co-op, online, and local wireless multiplayer
- Detachable Joy-Con controllers
- Nintendo Switch is the home of Mario & friends
- Geography: Gartner’s PC shipment figures are worldwide; Nintendo’s cited total is for a single platform.
- Period: Compare the same quarter or full year, and note when the estimate or forecast was published.
- Measure: Distinguish channel shipments, hardware units sold and games-industry revenue.
- Scope: Separate a combined PC-and-console games market from PC or console hardware alone.
- Status: Label preliminary estimates and analyst forecasts as such; do not write them as final outcomes.
One related forecast illustrates why qualification matters: Gartner Senior Director Analyst Ranjit Atwal said, “The sub-$500 entry-level PC segment will disappear by 2028.” This is Gartner’s forecast about a PC price segment, not a current fact or a statement about consoles.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- CPU: x86-64-AMD Ryzen Zen 8 Cores / 16 Threads at 3.5GHz.GPU: AMD Radeon RDNA 2-based graphics engine.
- 16GB GDDR6/256-bit Memory; 825GB SSD Storage Capacity
- Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T), IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1
- HDR technology, 8K output,4K TV gaming, Up to 120 fps with 120Hz output, Tempest 3D AudioTech
- What's Included: Sony PlayStation 5 Digital Edition; DualSense; USB cable, HDMI cable.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
